Objective of this lesson: to focus on purity concerns/distinctions made by devoutly religious people that are of great concern to them but of no significance to God; to note that making contradictory purity distinctions was classified by Jesus as hypocrisy.
Practical expressions of religious purity frequently are strange. Perhaps the strangest expressions of purity are found in what devout persons focus on as "essential for purity." Examples are plentiful. In some religions, people reason themselves to this conclusio: "The essential way to express my devotion to religious purity is to destroy people who disagree with me." Jesus rejected that thinking in Matthew 5:43-48 by declaring such thinking cannot reflect God. Or some reason: "I can give more to God if I exploit the poor and helpless." Jeremiah 22:3 rejected the idea that injustice reflected God. Always there are religious people involved in unmarried sexual affairs while they ardently argue religious convictions not stressed in scripture. Paul declared in Colossians 3:1-5 under no circumstance did sexual impurity reflect God.
Virtually all religious movements, including ours, are inconsistent in their purity concerns/emphases. Quite often people justify purity inconsistencies by placing God's values in opposition to each other. They often declare they seek to accomplish one divine objective at the expense of another divine objective. The justification frequently claims to seek God's greatest concern. However, that justification often voices the human's perspective rather than God's revelation of His concern.
The scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23 would declare [without hesitation!] they were among God's truly devout people. As devout people, they would declare they possessed an excellent understanding of purity. They knew what mattered in God's purity concerns! They insisted only kosher food prepared according to religious purity regulations be eaten! See Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14:1-21, and Acts 10:9-16. As a matter of "sound practice based on sound theology," they insisted every devout Israelite religiously purify his/her hands through hand washing purification rituals before eating (Matthew 15:1, 2). They strictly enforced all purification rites associated with food. See Mark 7:3, 4. If a cup, pitcher, or pan was used for the purpose of preparing food, those vessels first must be purified! Since eating was associated with worship in Judaism and idolatry, correctly eating protected Israelites from the impurity of honoring false gods! See Exodus 20:1-6.
A primary element in the scribes and Pharisees' concern about purity was food based. From ancient times, a part of Israel's national worship assemblies involved eating (see 1 Samuel 1:1-8 and note verse 5. Also see 1 Samuel 2:12-17). From ancient times eating was a part of many idolatrous worship assemblies (see Exodus 32:1-6 and note verses 5,6). A common part of worship in Judaism and idolatry in the Old Testament and in Judaism, idolatry, and Christianity (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 10:14-18) in the New Testament was a meal. A religious meal declared numerous realities including (a) an acknowledgment of the existence of God or the god honored by the meal (b) dependence on God as the Giver of all things, and (c) a bond with the believers who shared the meal. Food, even in what we consider family meals, had religious significance among first century Israelites who were devout [including the scribes and Pharisees Jesus address in Matthew 23]. In Israel a significant protection against idolatry was observing proper food regulations. Stated in another way, they protected themselves from the impurity of idolatry by observing the proper food regulations. The religious situation of food vessels being purified on the outside and neglected on the inside was unthinkable. Jesus said the situation of supposedly devout people being purified on the outside but neglected on the inside was unthinkable.
The situation Jesus described would produce a loud, spirited protest from the scribes and Pharisees! If the situation Jesus presented concerned a food vessel's purity, the scribes and Pharisees would quickly declare the entire vessel--inside and out!--must be pure. Yet, these same people frequently argued that what really mattered in Israelites was the external! Jesus rejected this thinking in Matthew 5:21-48. Jesus declared inward contempt for people resulted in the act of murder, inward lust resulted in the act of adultery, inward artificial distinctions in vows resulted in the act of deceit, inward desires for vengeance resulted in acts of injustice, and inward human hate could not reflect the acts of a merciful God. Thus inward human impurity cannot reflect the purity of God's nature and character.
The scribes and Pharisees would feel compelled to speak against the situation of food vessels being purified on the outside and neglected on the inside. That was a religiously unacceptable situation! Jesus frequently focused attention on the fallacy of the scribes and Pharisees' concept of purity by stressing the essential connection between the inward and the act.
If these scribes and Pharisees were served a meal in a Jewish home in cups, bowls, and plates meticulously washed on the outside but untouched on the inside, they would be insulted. They would have expressed their outrage in religious terms. While we of today would object on basis of poor hygiene, they would object on the religious basis of impurity. To them, such was a serious religious insult to them and to God.
While Jesus' illustration might seem religiously insignificant to most of us in the American church, it involved an important religious subject in Israel in first century Palestine. A failure to observe food laws was a serious, significant evidence that one's religious convictions were questionable! It was not an insignificant illustration in the concerns of the scribes and Pharisees addressed in Matthew 23!
Jesus said it was ridiculous to regard dishes impure because of inner contamination, but declare a person pure only because of the outside. He said inwardly these scribes and Pharisees were full of robbery and self-indulgence. Jesus endorsed the ancient concept of purity. In this concept, he stressed three things: (1) Purity begins inside. (2) The outward act must reflect an inward reality. (3) To be concerned only with the external is to assure impurity before God.
To be concerned that food vessels were religiously pure inside and out while stressing people only had to be religiously pure outwardly involved a serious misunderstanding of God's purity concerns. Note the purity realities Jesus stressed. Be careful NOT to equate temptation struggles with sinfulness. To be tempted is not sin. Jesus was tempted. To surrender to temptation is sin. Jesus did not surrender to temptation.
Years ago a poplar song stated a person could not be arrested for what he was thinking. Jesus' concept of purity loudly disagrees! Hundreds of years prior to Jesus, Proverbs 23:7 said, "For as he [a man] thinks within himself, so he is." The internal mattered to God before the Pharisees existed!
God always has been concerned about inward realities as well as outward acts.
Saul, the first human king over all twelve tribes of Israel, was personally selected by God (see 1 Samuel 9-10:1, 24). Saul's first failure to surrender to God occurred because his heart did not belong to God (see 1 Samuel 13:8-14 and note verse 14). Saul's failure to follow God's instructions regarding the Amalekites resulted in God's rejection of Saul as Israel's King (see 1 Samuel 15; please note the interesting statement about God in verse 35). In selecting Saul's replacement, God's primary concern was the man's heart. In this selection God specifically stated He examines the heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7).
Though Saul was selected by God, Saul's choices were his, not God's. Saul's problems began in his heart. His acts only reflected who he became inwardly.
The person God selected to be Israel's second king was David. Hundreds of years later, David was still known as "the man after God's own heart" in Acts 13:22). Was David perfect? Certainly not! Did David surrender to temptation? Without doubt! Did David commit some horrible sins? Absolutely! Then why could David be considered "a man after God's own heart"? Though David made some terrible mistakes, never did David doubt who possessed his heart. David always repented, never arrogantly persisted in rebellion when the evil was brought to his attention. Contrast Saul and David--Saul arrogantly persisted in his rebellion! Saul's initial response to his evil was self-justification, not repentance.
Stress the difference between Saul and David cannot be seen by comparing their failures, but by looking at their reactions to their failures. Saul's inner motives were revealed by initial attempts at self-justification. David's inner motives were revealed by his quick readiness to repent.
This is the point: Jesus' concept of purity was as old as Israel (see Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6). The scribes and Pharisees' concept of purity misunderstood God and His concerns.
Stress false concepts of purity betray God's true concerns.
Thought Questions and Discussions:
The attempt to focus purity concerns only on theological stances and convictions often results in ignoring personal motives expressed in behavior. This commonly is an attempt to evade personal responsibility. It is much easier to defend a conviction than it is to accept personal responsibility by repenting.
This discussion should include an understanding of the link between eating food and protecting oneself from the impurities of idolatry.
Yes! The scribes and Pharisees primarily expressed their purity concerns [in Jesus' ministry] by emphasizing food regulations. Stress this was a religious concern, not a hygiene concern.
Numerous times he emphasized an unacceptable inward condition resulted in an unacceptable act.
(1) Purity begins inwardly.
(2) Outward acts much reflect an inward reality.
(3) To restrict purity concerns only to external acts is to assure impurity before God.
Use either Saul offering a sacrifice in Samuel's absence (1 Samuel 13) or Saul's failure in the matter of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15) for your illustration.
While David surrendered to temptation in some horrible ways, David's initial reaction upon realizing his wickedness was repentance. David refused to use self-justification or rebellion to attempt to excuse his evil act or to continue in evil. David accepted personal responsibility for his wickedness and turned to God.
Circumcision was to include the inward person [the heart] as well as the body [the physical].
An Israelite was pure if he/she kept the holiness code [ate the proper foods prepared in the proper ways, kept the Sabbath regulations, observed the national holy days, etc.] by performing the correct acts. Purity primarily involved right acts.
Purity was a result of accepting God's emphasis on inwardly nurturing correct motives as well as practicing correct behavior.
Too often we give primary emphasis to outward behavior and too little emphasis to the inward attitudes/motives/emotions. Frequently, we reward right acts while ignoring the inner person.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 8